


Put On A Brave Face

by aleia



Series: Sweet Silver Lining [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Bisexuality, Coming Out, First Dates, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24165808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aleia/pseuds/aleia
Summary: Me: This fic is about Buck/Josh.Eddie: But what if every other part was sort of about me and Buck and our epic friendship?Me: *sigh* And people think Buck needs attention.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Josh Russo
Series: Sweet Silver Lining [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731151
Comments: 24
Kudos: 125





	Put On A Brave Face

It’s obvious that his squad is worried about him in the first few hours of his shift. They don’t get a call in the first two hours, so it’s obvious that Eddie doesn’t leave him alone and then Bobby asks him to help with dinner. They get a call right as they’re finishing with dinner, but at least it’s a car crash where no one is hurt. Sometimes, even Buck needs a break from daring rescues.

When they get back to the station, Bobby sends Eddie to clean up the mess they left from dinner and Buck volunteers to help before anyone else can be sent after him.

“Are you trying to get on Bobby’s good side for a reason?” Eddie asks. “Should I be prepared to have your back for something? Half the reason you help with dinner is so that you don’t have to clean up.”

Buck shrugs and Eddie doesn’t push. He just reads Buck’s mood and lets them settle into a comfortable silence as they work.

“I’m going to ask Josh out for Friday,” Buck says while pretending that he’s a lot more interested in loading the dishwasher than he really is.

He can feel every second that Eddie doesn’t say anything.

“Maddie’s co-worker, right?” Eddie says eventually.

“Yeah, we’ve been texting since that poker night Maddie had, and he came over last night to hang out.”

Eddie comes over and leans against the counter next to him.

“Is _that_ why you didn’t want to go to Abuela’s last night?” Eddie has a teasing smile when Buck looks at him, and Buck feels the tension in him relax as he jabs Eddie with his elbow.

“No. Maddie told him what happened, and he just wanted to check on me. It wasn’t a date.”

“But this Friday, that would be a date, right?” Eddie asks. “It’s fine. I’m just making sure that I’m hearing you right.”

“Yeah.”

“Should I have known this was…a possibility?” Eddie asks.

Buck shrugs even though he knows he didn’t tell Eddie on purpose.

“I didn’t mention it. I hooked up with some guys before I got with Abby, so everyone kind knows. But when you came here, I was still sort of with Abby, so it didn’t come up.”

“You asked me once,” Eddie says because _of course_ he’d remember after over a year. “if I’d ever been with a guy.”

“You said no and that’s fine.” Buck gets really interested in the dishwasher again.

“Buck, were you trying to figure out…”

“Seriously, Eddie? Can you not make a big deal about it? Don’t apologize for being straight. You’re already making it weird.”

Eddie doesn’t answer him right away. Buck _knows_ his best friend. He does. But he also knows how straight guys can be when another guy is interested in them.

“I mean, I kind of want to apologize to myself,” Eddie says. “It would be so easy if I wasn’t.”

Buck laughs.

“Well, yeah, that’s most of your appeal. It would be easy.”

“Okay. We have to talk about your lines before Friday. You can’t tell Josh that you asked him out because it was easy.”

***

 **Buck:** So, I’m off Friday. Are you free?  
**Josh:** I’m off work at 5.  
**Buck:** Do you want to do something? As a date. With me.  
**Josh:** I’d really like that.  
**Buck:** Awesome. I will make a plan and let you know. 😊

***

“I need help,” Buck says to Eddie. Then he realizes the whole squad has come into the lounge while he was gone, so he adds, “From Eddie. Not from anywhere else.”

“Oh, come on, Buckaroo,” Chimney says as he throws his arm over Buck’s shoulders. “We know Eddie’s your favorite, but we can all help.”

Buck removes Chimney’s arm and sits next to Eddie.

“I really don’t want help from you for date ideas. As long as she’s happy, I don’t want to know anything about the moves you’ve put on my sister.”

“And you’re asking _Eddie_?” Hen asks. “Eddie, have you asked out that teacher, yet?”

“Carla says I have to wait until the end of the school year because it puts her in a weird place if I ask her out while she’s Chris’s teacher. It’s not my fault.”

“He hasn’t yelled at her again,” Buck says. It’s probably not the best way to defend his best friend, but it’s fair.

“Did you already ask?” Eddie’s clearly avoiding the pronoun, which Buck appreciates, but it’s not necessary.

“He said yes to a date—which I already knew he would, but I asked, so I need a plan now.”

“Tell us more about this guy,” Chimney says, sitting down in front them and leaning forward with his chin in his hand.

“No,” Buck says as he gets up. “You’re already going to tell my sister enough.”

Buck turns back and looks at Eddie. “ _You_ think of ideas. I have until Friday. Everyone else, mind your own business.”

***

Eddie’s actually useless when it comes to ideas, but Buck knew he would be. He just wanted someone to bounce ideas off of and Eddie’s good for that. And maybe he wanted a reason to talk about the date for a little extra assurance that they’re okay. After throwing around different ideas, Buck picks a restaurant casual enough for them to be comfortable and nice enough that he doesn’t look lazy. He’s more excited than nervous. He knows Josh already. He _likes_ Josh already.

 **Eddie:** Abuela says if this doesn’t work out, one of her friends in Texas has a grandson she will set you up with.  
**Buck:** Texas? I think that’s too much of a distance.  
**Eddie:** Well, she hasn’t had a chance to really start looking with expanded options.  
**Buck:** Thanks, but I think I’ll try this first.

“I told Eddie,” Buck tells Josh after they’re seated at the restaurant.

“You know you didn’t have to do that for me, right?” Josh says.

“Yeah. I know. But it was easy to not come out when I didn’t have a reason to. But I’d normally tell him if I had a date, you know? And he’d ask me how I met them and all that. It felt wrong to keep it from him on purpose.”

Josh nods as Buck talks.

“It was okay?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t a big deal. Though if you change your mind, his abuela is already widening her net of who she wants to set me up with.”

“Should I worry?”

“Well, her first suggestion is in Texas, so I think you have some time.”

***

“If I already know you, does it make me easy if I want a kiss on the first date?” Buck asks when he drops Josh off.

“I don’t care,” Josh says before pulling him in. It’s been a while since Buck has kissed anyone and even longer since he’s kissed a man. But kissing Josh feels right, so Buck pulls him back for a second kiss immediately.

“I’m going to ask you out again,” Josh says when they pull back.

“I’m into that.”

***

 **Buck:** So now I have to tell Maddie.  
**Eddie:** It went well, then?  
**Buck:** Yeah. We’re going to go out again the next day I’m off.  
**Eddie:** That’s good. Abuela’s friend’s grandson has a boyfriend now, so you should try to make it work.  
**Buck:** Very funny. Abuela will never give up on me.  
**Eddie:** You should probably tell Maddie. But then she’ll tell Chimney and everyone will know.  
**Buck:** Basically.

**Author's Note:**

> I have already written the next 3 parts of this and I can promise that they follow the trend of the next part having lots more Josh and then Eddie deciding he wants a friendship chapter and then we're back to Josh. Though Josh definitely gets two parts in a row at one point because Buck loves Eddie lots but also he has some _needs_ and Eddie will just have to understand that.


End file.
